Chapter 541
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 541
Chapter Title: Yes, In the End, You're Me Too
The energy left in Wi Ji-gun's body was just barely enough to unleash that tiny sword ring once.
Even that would leave him utterly exhausted and collapsing afterward.
But.
No one could even guess how much energy Ha Mu-baek still had remaining.
Yet Wi Ji-gun's movements showed not the slightest hesitation.
'I trust my disciple. Mu-baek, please... feel it in this one strike...'
With that faith, Wi Ji-gun thrust his sword forward.
At its tip formed a small but radiant pure-white sword ring.
Ha Mu-baek watched his master's every motion without missing a beat.
Hadn't his master told him as much?
To observe and feel.
Ha Mu-baek was faithfully following his master's instructions.
Seeing it as yet another lesson from his teacher.
He gazed at the sword ring's energy forming small yet immense at the blade's tip.
This was the second time.
And so, he could sense it all the more clearly.
Ha Mu-baek's Infinite Bright Wheel Eye activated in his eyes.
To properly confront the brilliant energy his master had unleashed.
The heart demon bastard wouldn't even know what this was.
Ha Mu-baek clearly saw and felt the sword ring's energy his master had unleashed, and in the end, his eyes widened in realization.
'That is...'
At first, he thought it was the crystallization of all his master's killing intent.
But when that sword ring obliterated the heart demon's black killing dragon, he began to suspect otherwise.
And now, the energy he had confirmed.
'The aggregate of everything—no, the essence, the purification.'
Ha Mu-baek recognized it.
It wasn't energy composed solely of killing intent.
Thus, the sword ring flying from Wi Ji-gun's blade tip embedded once more into the black killing dragon's forehead.
And scattered radiant light.
The black killing dragon was engulfed in that baptism of light and utterly vanished.
'Kiiiiiaaaaaaaaah!!!!'
The heart demon let out a massive scream.
Thick rage filled that cry.
After unleashing the sword ring, Wi Ji-gun staggered and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
He had poured every last drop of his strength into that single strike, leaving him without even the energy to stand.
At the sight, the heart demon's eyes gleamed as it raised its sword once more.
Clearly intent on finishing things with this one blow.
Ha Mu-baek took in his master's state with his own eyes and felt it deeply.
Complex waves churned within him.
That faint sensation he had grasped from Wi Ji-gun's display.
It stirred the waves into a fierce vortex.
And then.
Ha Mu-baek blocked the heart demon's path in the world of his mindscape.
At that moment.
The heart demon tried to slam its reverse-gripped sword into the ground once more.
Ha Mu-baek's hand seized the heart demon's wrist.
The moment the sword tip touched the earth, it halted there.
'Graaaaaah!'
The heart demon let out a savage howl.
But Ha Mu-baek paid it no mind, gazing deeply into the heart demon with unwavering eyes.
"Yeah, in the end, you're me too."
Ha Mu-baek murmured in a detached tone.
His master had said as much, and Ha Mu-baek had thought so too.
But no.
Deep in his heart, he had been rejecting the idea that the heart demon was another self.
The heart demon's seed had begun taking root in his inner world.
Tracing it back, it all started when he found Cheongran Island.
The moment he saw Ha Seol-ran startled by the killing intent ingrained in his body.
The moment he felt despair at her fear of him.
That was when.
This bastard's seed was born.
When he resolved to purge the scent of blood.
That seed had slowly grown.
He should have accepted that this thing was part of him, but he hadn't.
He had tried to separate it from himself, thinking, This isn't me.
Deep in his subconscious.
And when that seed sprouted—it was then.
In the underground of the Blood Cult's main branch, when he swept away all the remnants.
Ha Mu-baek had thought the heart demon appeared then, but in truth, he himself had planted the seed far earlier.
Watching his master's sword ring, feeling all the emotions transcending the seven passions and six desires contained within.
He realized.
This killing intent—he, Ha Mu-baek himself, had refused to acknowledge it as his own.
'Grrrrrr...'
The heart demon struggled desperately to drive the sword deep into the ground and erupt its energy.
Step.
Ha Mu-baek took one step closer to the heart demon.
'Grrrrrr...'
The heart demon growled like a beast.
Ha Mu-baek took another step.
The space between them shrank to less than half a handspan.
Ha Mu-baek extended his remaining hand.
And patted the heart demon's back.
"You must have felt neglected. Resentful. I'm sorry."
Sincere words.
"I created you. While watching my parents' deaths, vowing to tear apart my enemies—I forged you deep in my heart."
'Grr...'
"Yet at some point, I denied you were me and tried to rip you away. How infuriating, how full of resentment and betrayal that must have been."
As Ha Mu-baek's words continued.
The heart demon's cries quieted.
The force trying to plunge the sword weakened bit by bit.
"I'm sorry. You are me, yet deep down I rejected you as not-me. I won't do that anymore. You are part of me. You are what I created."
The moment those words ended.
The heart demon shut its mouth.
Released the sword.
And.
Looking up at Ha Mu-baek, it shed a single tear.
The instant Ha Mu-baek saw that tear, one fell from his own eye.
When that tear touched the heart demon's forehead.
Crackle!
The heart demon dissolved into black powder, scattering in all directions and vanishing in an instant.
The dispersed black light particles lingered briefly before being drawn straight into Ha Mu-baek's chest.
"Hoo."
Ha Mu-baek let out a deep sigh.
Then he promptly sat cross-legged.
Closed his eyes and sank into deep meditation.
Seeing this, Wi Ji-gun nodded.
"Yes. Mu-baek, I believed in you."
Wi Ji-gun murmured admiringly as he watched his disciple.
And then.
He shuddered.
Unable to watch his disciple any longer, Wi Ji-gun too sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
He could not miss this spark of enlightenment that had arrived at this moment.
The seven squads' members, deep in slumber, awoke to the sudden surge of energy and rushed out of their tents.
All eyes turned to one spot.
It was quite a distance away, but for experts at their level of lightness skill, it was only a matter of moments to reach.
From there emanated a massive aura thick with vicious killing intent.
"What in the world..."
Joo Woo-myeong muttered with a pale face.
Ha Seol-ran emerged from her own tent as well.
Her senses told her what was happening there.
"It's Master and Brother."
Everyone nodded at her words.
That explained the monstrous energy.
"Ha, I thought for a second the Sa Pa Lian had come knocking."
Dang Jin-san muttered, patting his chest in relief.
But.
It was energy easy enough to mistake for that.
Setting aside its overwhelming power, that terrifying, sticky killing intent.
It could only be the vicious energy of unorthodox fighters.
"To think the Corps Leader and the Elder could emit such ferocious killing intent."
Baek Ri-pyeong murmured in surprise.
It wasn't the kind of aura a righteous sect warrior should unleash.
Han Seol-bing could have explained if she were here, but she was in Seo Bok now.
"But why are those two clashing so fiercely?"
It was Dan Mok Un-roe.
"Probably sparring or something."
Yeon Ha-min replied matter-of-factly.
There was no other reason for them to clash.
It was just shocking how immense the energy was for mere sparring.
The other squad members hadn't reached the seven squads' level, so they couldn't sense the distant aura.
Boom!
A faint explosion echoed from afar.
Those with keen senses stirred in their tents and rose.
Ha Seol-ran clenched her fists, gazing desperately toward it.
'Master... Brother...'
She couldn't fathom why they were colliding with such tremendous force.
But as Yeon Ha-min said, it had to be sparring.
She prayed nothing was wrong.
How much time passed?
About a third of the Fierce Dragon Corps at the outpost snapped awake to the distant rumbles.
Then that terrifying energy vanished clean away.
"Looks like it's over."
Ha Seol-ran murmured softly.
Indeed, the other seven squads' members realized the monstrous aura was gone.
They weren't at a level to sense clashes from that far normally.
They had only felt it because of the intense killing intent it spewed.
"What do we do?"
Nak Woo-jin muttered.
Yeon Ha-min looked to Ha Seol-ran.
"What do you think?"
"The energy's completely gone... but neither seems to be moving."
Yeon Ha-min gazed in the direction of the two at Ha Seol-ran's answer.
"Let's go."
Quick decision.
"Huh?"
"No movement means we need to check the situation."
With that, Yeon Ha-min kicked off the ground and unleashed her lightness skill.
Ha Seol-ran followed right after, and the other seven squads' members kicked off too.
"We'll head out, so hold things down here."
Dang Jin-san left those words for the remaining seven squads' members and kicked off last.
A group of martial artists entered the Flower Red Tower.
About twenty of them, dressed in ragged uniforms of all sorts, but the pure light deep in their eyes couldn't be fully hidden.
They weren't greeted by the brothel's manager or the head courtesan.
It was Sa Hoon.
"This way."
Following Sa Hoon's guidance, they moved to a large room on one side.
From today, they were members of the Black Veil Room, not Maehyangmun.
Within three days, they had to cloak the righteous factions in as much unorthodox filth as possible on the surface.
And assault the Yuun Martial Hall.
Sun-gyu was already waiting there.
"Welcome."
Sun-gyu greeted them with a sly smile.
They had already been thoroughly briefed by Seo Hon on their roles ahead.
Thus, even as the leader of a third-rate unorthodox sect smiled at them, they remained expressionless.
Normally, they would have sneered in contempt at the man before them, so this was progress—but Sa Hoon found it insufficient.
"Then, per the contract between our main hall and your sect, I look forward to your work."
Sun-gyu said that much and left the room.
"Seo the Manager should have already informed you great heroes of your tasks. I am Sa Hoon, staff officer of the Black Veil Room, here to make fine adjustments for perfection."
"Hmph."
The twenty martial artists focused on Sa Hoon.
From first-rate to second-rate experts.
Five among them had reached first-rate.
Maehyangmun had committed considerable forces.
For merely one Yuun Martial Hall.
"Today, one of our own halls will head to Yuun Martial Hall and pick a fight. An utterly baseless provocation, but it will spark the conflict between Yuun Martial Hall and our Black Veil Room. Tomorrow and the day after, there'll be minor scuffles for two days."
The martial artists nodded.
They had heard from Seo Hon.
Then, three days later, they would step in and wipe out Yuun Martial Hall.
"Three days from now, the great heroes handle the cleanup—but there's one issue."
"Issue?"
The martial artists' leader shot back with clear displeasure.
He hadn't imagined any problem with all of them crushing Yuun Martial Hall.
If anything, it seemed overkill.
Yet this third-rate thug spoke of a problem.
Inevitable irritation.